Dual grip spectacles holder



June 17, 1969 v J.'C. PHILLIPS 3,450,457

nun. GRIP SPECTACLES HOLDER Filed July 15. 1966 INVENTOR. M0859 c. H/AL/P-S;

440mm, m FAMM United States Patent 3,450,467 DUAL GRIP SPECTACLES HOLDER Joseph C. Phillips, 1806 Highland Drive, Augusta, Kaus. 67010 Filed July 15, 1966, Ser. No. 565,455 Int. Cl. G02c 3/02 US. Cl. 351157 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to a dual grip spectacles holder, especially but not exclusively for use by athletes, adapted to embrace the back of the head of a wearer.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of a generally superior, eflicient, and easily applied and removed device of the kind indicated, which is adapted to be easily adjusted to fit difierent head sizes, which contains no hard or unyielding components which could injure the wearers head, if struck; and which -is attachable to any types of temples or bows.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an inexpensive, durable, and uncomplex device of the character indicated above, which is adapted to be constructed of resilient and compressible stretch material, such as relatively soft rubber or rubber-like material, and which affords secure, comfortable, and conformed contact over a relatively wide area of the back of the head of the wearer.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a device of the character indicated above, wherein adjustable loops are provided, on the ends of the device, for attaching the device to the temples or bows of spectacles, to extend around the back of the head of the wearer, and resilient and compressible sleeves are provided, which slide frictionally along components of the device, for adjusting the length of the device.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a schematic perspective view, showing spectacles in place on the head of a wearer, shown in phantom lines, and held in place by a device of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation of the device, per se, showing the same adjusted to minimum length;

FIGURE 3 is a view, like FIGURE 2, showing the device adjusted to greater length;

FIGURE 4 is an edge elevation of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged fragmentary longitudinal section, taken on the line 5-5 of FIGURE 4; and

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view, showing an attaching loop of the device.

Referring in detail to the drawings, a conventional pair of spectacles S is shown, having hinged bows or temples T, of the skull type, which terminate in downturned ear pieces 10, to which a device 12, of the present invention, is secured. It is to be noted that the device is equally applicable to temples of other types, such as straight temples, and those having fully curved ear pieces.

The device 12 comprises a pair of first and second bands 14 and 15, respectively, which are resilient, flexible, compressible, and stretchable, and are preferably of cylindrical cross section and of tubular form, and are made of rubber or rubber-like material, impervious to perspiration, hair oil, and the like. The bands are of a length somewhat greater than the distance between the spectacle ear pieces 10, so that when the spectacles are in place on the head H of a wearer, the bands can embrace the back of the head of the wearer, without undue stretching thereof.

As shown in FIGURE 6, outer or attaching loops 16 are formed on the outer ends of the bands, simply by producing a flattened end portion 18, forming the portion with a hole 20, near its free end, and passing the hand through the hole. The diameter of the hole 20, where the band is of cylindrical cross section, is slightly smaller in diameter than the band, so that the edege of the hole is compressed on the band, and thereby obtains a frictional position retaining engagement 'With the band. As a result, when the loops 16 are engaged around the spectacles ear piece 10, and are drawn tight thereon, the loops retain their tightened condition. Because of the nature of the material of the loops and their resilience and compressibility, the loops have a secure grip on any types of.ear pieces.

The bands 14, 15 are formed, on their inner ends, with inner loops 22, which are the same in form as the outer loops 16.

A pair of resilient and stretchable adjustment retaining sleeves 26 of rubber or rubber-like material is provided, which are severally, slidably and frictionally engaged on the bands 14, 15, and are in tension thereon, so that whenever the sleeves are adjusted toward and away from each other, for adjusting the effective length of the device 12, they will retain whatever positions are given them, along the bands.

'The sleeves 26 have side walls 28, which, as shown in FIGURE 5, are formed, near their inner ends 30, with preferably round holes 32, through which the inner loops 22 are engaged, and tightened, like the outer loops 16, fastening the bands to the inner ends of the sleeves so that the bands lie along each other.

As shown in FIGURE 3, the inner loops 22 are reversed with respect to each other, on the sleeves 26, so that the first band 14 is above and spacedly overlies the second band 16.

As a result of the foregoing arrangements, proper spectacles holding engagement of the device 12, with the back of the head of the wearer is obtained, simply by moving the sleeves 26 outwardly along the bands to shorten the device, and moving the sleeves inwardly, along the bands, so as to lengthen the device, according to the adjustment of the device needed to accommodate the particular wea-rers head and the spectacles worn, the device being adapted to be lengthened for removing or installing the spectacles and holder combination, and to be shortened when the combination has been installed, so as to hold the spectacles securely in place on the head of the wearer, with the desired tension.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination, spectacles comprising bows terminating in free ends, head-embracing resilient and stretchable band means extending between the bows, said band means having loop means on the ends thereof, said loop means being engaged around said bows adjacent said ends thereof, wherein said band means comprises first and second bands extending along each other, said bands having outer ends on which said loop means are located, said bands having inner ends, and adjustment-retaining means on the inner ends of the bands, the retaining means of the first band being engaged with the second hand, and with the first band, said retaining means comprising the retaining means of the second band being engaged sleeves slidably and frictionally-receiving the bands, wherein said sleeves are resilient and stretchable and have sidewalls formed near their inner ends with holes, and wherein the bands have inner loops engaged through said holes and securing the bands to the inner ends of the sleeve, and wherein said loop means comprises returnbent end portions of the bands, said bands being formed with holes through which the return-bent end portions of the bands extend, said holes having edges compressed around the bands.

2. A device acording to claim 1, and wherein the bands have holes in their inner ends and the inner loops of the bands comprise return-bent inner end portions of the bands engaged through said holes in the inner ends of the bands and extending through the holes in the inner end portions of the sidewalls of the sleeves.

4 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 9/1876 Andross 351-156 8/1931 Daniels 351----156 7/1955 Biagi 24-115 1/1958 Seron 351-155 X 2/1961 Allen 2417 X FOREIGN PATENTS 7/1961 France.

DAVID SCHONBERG, Primary Examiner.

J. W. LEONARD, Assistant Examiner.

U.S. CI. X.R. 

